February 23, 2009

I was going to call this one, "What Would Otzi Drink?" Otzi was the Neolithic Hunter found preserved in Alpen ice along Italian-Austrian border in 1991.

Colleagues in archeology have recently dated the earliest wine-making to the early part of the Neolithic age. And by 'recently', I'm referring to geological time: The discovery was five years ago. When residue of fermented grape juice was found in what's now the Republic of Georgia from a vintage that's 8,000 years old. That's also recent if you're a geologist.

In a continuation of our amphora wine studies, we recently opened a bottle of Georgian wine: Vinoterra Mtsvane, 2005. Mtsvane is an indigenous, white Georgian grape, "well known" according to the back label. Like our Julius Caesar wines, this is fermented in ancient terra cotta pots (the Georgians call them, kvevri) then aged in oak barrels.

Wine made with neolithic technology on the site of the possible origins of wine-making itself... what's not to like about that?

The wine in the glass is orange, like liquid rust. The nose is super funky, oxidized and aromatic. Orange rind, nutty caramel, quince past and something like sherry/vin jaune. In the mouth, the fruit jumps, and the acid too. There's a faint sherry quality. And a coppery metallic element (reminds me of Joly's terroir signature in the Coulée de Serrant vineyard). The finish is hazelnut and river stones.

I thought this was really interesting. But was it good? I brought a bottle home from the Lab for the wife to put her super-palate on.

8 comments:

All of the amphora wine that you tasted seem to have oxidation flavors. Since I cant actually find any of the wines in my little midwestern college town I just have to ask. Do you think some of these flavors are from oxidation? If it is I would wonder if the amphora wines are prone to oxidization or if producers who use amphora also don't like to use SO2.

Of course there is some oxidation in all or most wine making but I think the degree is important and I don't mean to imply that it is a negative. Madeira is oxidized and I love it. I just noticed more descriptors I associate with oxidation than is usual for the wines I drink. So I was wondering if amphora wines have a tendency to slightly oxidize because of the amphora or if winemakers who use amphora also don't like to use SO2. I think SO2 is believed to protect against oxidation in addition to protecting against (some) bacterial spoilage.

In the case of amphora wines, I think it's likely a combination of natural wine-making trends and the fact that making wines this way involves more oxygen exposure than, say, a stainless steel tank with a CO2 buffer. Most of the few who use clay pots, press whole clusters, dump juice, skins and stems together into the buried amphora and then stir the mix occasionally during a lengthy fermentation period. So there's going to be a fair amount of oxidation regardless of whether or not they use sulfur as a stabilizing agent.

I'm anticipating my next report, but is there a Whole Foods grocery store in your lmc town? I recently learned they were integral in bringing the amphora wines from Vinoterra into the US. Maybe a request to the wine-buyer at the store might conjure a few bottles to the local shelves?

Thanks for the article, it was a fun read. I did notice that one of the winemakers thought using new barrels allowed lower levels of SO2. I heard an interview with Sam Harrop MW not too long ago that claimed new barrels were worse than old barrels for Brett contamination. I need to find some of these wines to see if they are a little more Bretty (I always enjoy a little Brett).

Alas, there is no Whole Foods in my LMCT (Bloomington, IN). While I am usually chained to my desk in a lab churning out data I do go to a larger midwestern college town with a Whole Foods (Madison, WI) every few weeks. I'll see what if they are interested in stocking some amphora wines from Vinoterra.